Finding Answers: Chapter Thirteen
The Answer
"Seek, and you will find"
The trio walked through a vacant white hallway, their hearts pounding in rhythm with the echo of their footsteps. At the end of the corridor stood the door to the innermost court, towering fifteen feet high, pure white like the hall itself, inscribed with golden markings that shimmered under the pale light.
With each step closer, anticipation grew within them. Elder Hosea had spoken of another High Priest, the eternal one; one touched by the very infirmities of mankind, yet possessing the power to heal and save.
This was no ordinary priest but One who rarely revealed Himself. And now, they were about to seek His presence.
Would He meet them?
That question clung to their minds like mist, as Andrew reached for the golden handle and slowly opened the door.
Inside was a small chamber, drenched entirely in gold; from the ceiling to the polished floor and the four walls that gleamed in solemn stillness. A thick golden curtain hung at the far end of the room, veiling something unseen. The moment the door shut behind them, the atmosphere changed.
The air grew dense, heavy with a sacred weight that would bring any man to his knees. The scent of rare incense lingered in the silence. Dim light pulsed softly from a glowing gemstone beyond the veil.
Without a word, they fell to their knees, their hearts open and expectant.
But... nothing happened.
Minutes passed. Still nothing.
Ruth, her limbs aching, lay down. Deborah followed. Andrew who remained upright pitied them, then sighed.
"I think we've done all we can," he said, voice hushed. He reached out a hand to Deborah, then to Ruth. Helping them up, he glanced once more at the curtain, still unmoving.
They exited the chamber and walked through the white halls back into the inner court. Elder Hosea stood waiting. Andrew shook his head slightly and Hosea offered only a quiet, understanding nod.
Without another word, the trio left the temple grounds, passing through the Prophet clan's lands until they reached the arable fields beyond. Hills crowned with tall grass and grain. The crescent moon had risen high, casting silver light over the land, and stars covered the heavens like sand at the seashore.
Ruth, ever the sky-gazer, couldn't help but stare. She almost tripped on a rock, but Andrew gently steadied her.
"We should stop here," he suggested. "Rest a while. Talk and clear our heads."
They climbed a nearby hill, the ascent wasn't difficult. They reached the top within minutes and found a large flat rock to sit on. Ruth gasped.
"Look!" she whispered pointing skywards. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah," Andrew replied faintly, watching her more than the dancing stars.
"A meteor shower," Deborah observed. "You know, this is the very hill where the first covenant was made."
"The Hill of the Covenant," Andrew added with a smile.
"Exactly," Deborah said. "And where the first Festival of Light was declared."
A sudden gust of wind swept across the hilltop, rustling the trees and startling the nocturnal birds into a frenzy of chirps and flutters. Ruth laughed and even Deborah smiled. Ruth's joy was often childlike, but now Deborah could really use it.
Andrew grinned as well, until the ground beneath them trembled.
"What's that?" Deborah's voice cracked. "Please don't tell me what we did is making things worse..."
Andrew raised a hand, silencing her. "Wait... do you see that?"
All three turned.
All around them, flames began to materialize, tiny bursts of orange igniting on shrubs and bushes. The fire circled them completely, yet did not consume the plants it touched. The vegetation was aflame, but it was not destroyed.
"Holy smokes..." Andrew muttered.
Then, just as suddenly– the flames vanished.
Darkness.
Then a light shone through the darkness.
It burst into existence, pure and blinding, bathing the entire hill in a brilliance as radiant as a thousand suns. They shielded their eyes, overwhelmed.
Was this, Heaven?
Soon their eyes grew accustomed to the light and there, in the center of the light, stood the One they had sought.
"Fear not," He spoke.
His voice; calm as a whisper, strong as a storm, rippled through their bodies. Their strength left them, and they fell facedown.
He had come.
He had met with them, not how they expected, but in a way more profound than they could've imagined.
He approached and they looked upon Him: clothed in a robe of pure white, glowing with an ethereal light. His eyes were like a flame of fire. His hair was like soft wool and on His head sat a crown engraved with a single word:
HOLY.
He extended His hands and gently raised them one by one.
Turning to Ruth, He spoke first.
"Ruth, my daughter."
Something broke inside her.
The wall she had built to guard her heart after her father's death began to crumble, brick by brick. Tears welled in her eyes as she rushed into His embrace, clinging tightly.
"Father?" she whispered.
A memory flashed; the false image of her earthly father in the Valley of Desires, the pain of deception, the darkness that followed. But this, this was real. Here was the Father of all spirits, the One she had unknowingly longed for her whole life.
Deborah stepped forward, her breath caught in her chest.
"Deborah, my scribe. My witness. There is much I must show you. The questions you've held tightly, I placed them in you so you may reveal My truth to others. The world has forgotten Me, but you will write what I reveal, as Moses once did. Stay close to Me, and I will give you the words."
Tears slid down Deborah's cheeks. Every longing, every late-night question, every search, every journal entry, it all made sense now.
Then Andrew stepped into the light.
"Andrew, the Pacemaker. Thank you for keeping everything together. Your strength, your patience, your calming presence; it mattered more than you know. You have a gift not only to lead but to listen. Continue in courage, but remember, wisdom also dwells in the counsel of others. Do not walk alone."
Andrew's throat tightened. He had often doubted his role, his impact, but here, he was seen. Known.
The three of them fell to their knees once more, this time in joy, in awe, in perfect peace.
They sat at His feet, listening and speaking...
You could dream of the most beautiful thing on earth, the greatest joy, the deepest love, the highest fulfillment and it still wouldn't come close to this moment.
The moment they found what their hearts always longed for.
The moment they found Him.
They left seeking an answer, but found The Answer.
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